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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · fall · cold · pitch · spell · hand · key · cue

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. key — in music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. staff — employees
  12. cue — a signal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com